Page 26 of Secret Seduction

I should tell him the truth, put his mind at ease, but I just can’t risk it. What if he changes his mind about letting me stay here? Or he tells someone the truth and it gets back to this Santiago chick that I’m still a virgin?

Nope. Not happening. It’s not worth the risk.

Since I’m a bit OCD about organization, I empty the contents of the boxes into the drawers and hang up the few items I have. Once I’m done, my stomach growls, and I venture out to find something to eat. I’ll just grab something simple from the fridge and bring it back to my room so I can figure out my school and work situation.

When I step into the state-of-the-art open kitchen, I’m met with Lorenzo standing at the stove, cooking something that smells delicious, while his son is in his high chair, jabbering away while snacking on what looks like Cheerios.

The moment he sees me—his son, not Lorenzo—his eyes light up, and he starts babbling at me, shaking around and lifting his arms.

I smile at him, loving how happy he is, but since I don’t want to piss off Lorenzo, I don’t interact—which is kind of shitty because he’s a freaking baby and who ignores a baby?—and go straight for the fridge to grab the simplest thing I can for dinner.

“Did they bring everything?” Lorenzo asks.

I turn around and glance at him. “Oh, are we speaking? I thought we were supposed to pretend the other doesn’t exist.”

Lorenzo glares. “Try not to act your age.”

“Me?” I scoff. “You’re the one forcing me to ignore the cute baby.”

As if right on cue, said baby lifts his arms and yells, “Up, up, up.”

I grin at how adorable he is, and Lorenzo’s resting dick face deepens.

“Oh, sorry.” I mask my smile. “Let me glare at the baby.” I spin around, open the fridge, grab a bottle of water and a yogurt since there are tons of them in there, and then close the door. “To answer your question, yes, everything was in my luggage, and they brought everything from Eric’s house. Thank you. Also, regarding my stuff from my apartment, I don’t need to make a list. I just need some clothes, toiletries, and my sewing stuff.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take my dinner to my room so I can figure out how not to fail out of school my senior year and be forced to marry a rich man like my mom did and rely on him for everything.”

I start to walk away when Lorenzo’s voice stops me. “Online classes.”

“What?”

“Take your classes online.”

Oh my God. Why didn’t I think of that?

I’ve been so caught up in the stress of everything that’s going on, I wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Thank you.”

He nods, clearly dismissing me, and I see myself out.

An hour later, all my classes have been switched from in-person to online, and my scholarship is no longer at risk. Since I’m hoping this whole thing gets resolved sooner rather than later, I keep my apartment as is so it’s there when it’s time for me to go back to school, and I pay for the meal plan that’s required since I live on campus.

And then I text my boss at the pub I work at and Kora, the designer I intern for, letting them know there’s been a family emergency and I won’t be back when I thought I’d be.

Of course, both say they’ll have to replace me, needing someone to fulfill the jobs I was responsible for.

I’m checking out my new classes and the online platform when there’s a knock on my door.

“Come in.”

Lorenzo opens the door, and in his hand is a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with the fluffiest garlic bread I’ve ever seen.

“There were leftovers,” he grumbles, setting the plate on the edge of the dresser and then backing out and closing the door behind him before I can even say thank you.

I stare at the food for about three seconds before I jump out of the bed and grab the plate, taking it out to the terrace to eat.

He might be a grump, but, damn, he’s a good cook.